Meet the Interns:

JOIP in the “Center of the Universe”

“We Can Do That” — walkercountycan.org

As Paul Kennedy of the Walker Area Community Foundation sees it, Walker County is indeed the center of the universe, and this attitude really sums up the can-do, positive outlook in this northeast Alabama community. And for our five JOIP interns from the University of Alabama’s New College, that’s exactly what Jasper, AL will become this summer.

Our Jean O’Connor-Snyder internship program (JOIP) is a collaboration with institutions across the state. Currently, we partner with Auburn University’s Living Democracy, the University of Montevallo, Tuskegee University, and Troy University, as well as the University of Alabama.

We can’t wait to share more about our JOIP New College interns’ domestic study-abroad experiences, as they develop summer projects, learn about the local civics processes in Jasper, and get in touch with the deep sense of community there is to be found in Walker County. In the meantime, here’s a little about Madison, Matt, Sarah, Cokie, and Ally in their own words.

Madison’s favorite quote is from Gertrude Stein: “You look ridiculous if you dance. You look ridiculous if you don’t dance. So you might as well dance.”

Madison Drury hails from St. Louis, Missouri. She loves to travel, and recently taught herself to knit and play the mandolin.

To her, “civic engagement means working to foster community and to better the community you are a part of. This includes knowing and being an active participant of your community, identifying and addressing the needs of your community, and on a basic level it means loving your neighbor and caring about the welfare of the people in your community.”

Madison has a double major in psychology and in New College with a depth study in social justice and non-profit management. “After college I hope to “work in the realm of helping people (non-profits, community development, service organizations, &etc), so I expect to be able to directly apply what I learn to my future career. But even if I end up doing something else I hope to apply what I will gain from this experience in order to better whatever community I end up living in.”

One of Matt’s favorite quotes is a Greek proverb — “A society grows great when people began to plant the seeds for trees whose shade they know they shall never sit under.”

Matt Zeliff is from Atlanta, GA. He is an Eagle Scout, and enjoys hiking, canoeing, reading, dancing, listening to music, yoga, and reading. A fun fact about Matt is that he “loves to get lost. I love to wander.”

Matt has an interdisciplinary studies major in community development. To him, “Civic engagement involves caring about the citizens’ engagement in public policy. Civic engagement is all about fulfilling our duties as citizens.” In the future, he continues, “I hope to learn about civic health in Alabama. I hope to gain new perspectives on what community development is and how different people have different views on the optimal implementation of public policy. In the future I hope to live and serve in communities and gain a deeper understanding of what it means to live in a rural area.”

One of Sarah’s favorite quotations is, “Friends, life is short and we don’t have much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us, so let us be quick to love and make haste to be kind.” — Origin unknown

Sarah Gardiner Johns’ hometown is Huntsville, AL. Some of her hobbies include creating art, sleeping, and spending time with loved ones. One accomplishment she is proud of is being on the team that brought Tuscaloosa’s first sustainable music festival to fruition as part of her internship during the school year with Creative Campus. She also spent the first part of her summer break in Switzerland and Austria for an interim class abroad.

Sarah majors in pre-art therapy studies through New College. To her, “civic engagement is living in intentional community with one another with the common goal of improving the collective lives of that community through mutual work and trust.” Her hope for this summer is to “learn a lot about how communities work in the framework of a civic context and to apply those critical thinking skills to communities with which she will be involved in the future.”

Cokie’s favorite quote: “Growing up, my parents always told me that 90% of life is showing up. They were talking about the importance of going to school and dance classes when I didn’t want to, but their advice has held true in so many other ways. Physically showing up to work and class on time is important, but so is being fully present and prepared in those meetings. It’s going early and staying late. It’s honoring commitments to your colleagues and friends, but especially your acquaintances. It’s showing up for your community, in good times and in bad. It’s saying “Roll Tide!” every Saturday, even after a tough loss in Oxford. It’s trying new initiatives, acknowledging when they don’t work, and then trying different ones. Quality of work is important, but showing up is more than half the battle.”

Cokie Thompson’s hometown is Memphis, Tennesee. She’s named after Cokie Roberts, a former journalist and political commentator, and she loves to write, paint, and spend time getting to know Alabama. She lists the relationships she’s formed in college as one of her accomplishments so far. “When all the honor societies and leadership positions have been bumped from our resumes, my peers and I will look back on how we supported old friends and made new ones as we fought for change, both on campus and out in the world.”

Cokie majors in journalism and minors in political science and educational studies. Civic engagement, to her, means “ supporting the people around you. That can be voting in local elections and attending PTA meetings, but it can also be spending time with neighbors at the playground and buying produce from a local farmer.” Her goal this summer is “to leave Walker County with a better understanding of how I can best use my skills to give back to my communities.”

Ally’s favorite quote: “What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.”

Finally, Ally Seigler is from O’Fallon, IL. She shared this about herself: “I’m a show choir choreographer! Also, I never leave the house without an apple.” Her hobbies are dancing, yoga, puzzles, reading, going to outdoor concerts, and learning all the words to Broadway musicals. She lists one of her accomplishments as: “I am proud that I had the courage to switch my major at the end of my junior year in order to pursue my passions.”

Ally is a food studies and community health major. To her, “Civic engagement means investing in the community that invests in you by playing your role, no matter how big or small.” This summer, she says, “I hope to learn a new appreciation for small towns and rural communities. I have always lived in an urban setting and therefore imagined myself moving to a big city because it’s what I know. After this summer, however, I hope to be able to recognize that my choice of work should be based on where I am needed and not just where I think I want to be. I also hope to learn to be proud of small accomplishments and not expecting large change to be achieved immediately.”

To follow all of our wonderful JOIP interns’ adventures, check out Auburn University’s Living Democracy blog, and follow our posts as we share more Alabama-positive stories from Walker County this summer.

— Rebecca Cleveland, DMC Assistant Program Director